Torrential rains and flash floods continue to wreak havoc across northern Pakistan, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced.
Disaster management authorities have confirmed heavy losses of life and property in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and adjoining regions.
Heavy toll in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), at least 385 people have died and 182 others injured in rain-related incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so far. The dead include 299 men, 52 women and 34 children. The injured included 145 men, 27 women, and 10 children, according to the PDMA.
Moreover, 4,305 cattle have also been killed in various accidents.
Buner district remains the worst-hit, reporting 228 fatalities and 120 injuries. Accidents and flash floods have also struck Swat, Bajaur, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Battagram and Swabi. In total, 1,398 houses have been affected, with 368 completely destroyed and 1,022 partially damaged.
Gilgit-Baltistan suffers cloudburst destruction
In Gilgit-Baltistan, the Disaster Management Authority reported that a cloudburst and glacial lake outburst floods have killed 45 people and injured 42. Floods and landslides also damaged 87 bridges and submerged nearly 1,000 homes, cutting off vital road links and leaving communities stranded.
Buner and Swabi: Rescue efforts underway
Rescue teams in Buner recovered another body in Chagharzai Gumbat, taking the district’s official toll to 231. Moreover, even six days after the flash flood in Buner, people are busy clearing the debris and rubble in the market attached to the Pir Baba shrine on their own. The flood-affected people are facing difficulties due to the unavailability of government machinery.
In Swabi’s Dalori Gadoon, six more bodies were pulled from the rubble on Wednesday, bringing the death toll from the recent cloudburst to 41.
Despite efforts from rescue services, the Pakistan Army and local volunteers, search operations remain difficult due to debris and damaged roads for the third day. Residents complain of long power outages and lack of machinery, forcing them to clear flood-hit markets and roads by hand.
Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir hit hard
In Azad Kashmir’s Poonch Division, torrential rains killed six people and injured 14, according to the divisional commissioner. Nearly 129 houses were destroyed, 600 partially damaged, 40 cattle lost, four vehicles swept away, and over 650 kilometres of roads were washed out. At one point, more than 1,200 schoolchildren were trapped by floodwaters before being rescued.
Authorities have placed rescue agencies on high alert as fresh rainfall is expected in the coming days.
